“Still a lot to learn, but talent-wise, we are a good team,” says Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi

Before this World Cup, the Afghans had only one victory in two 50-over ICC tournaments. This time, the team has been a giant killer - defeating Pakistan and England.

While he hoped for spin to have a role in Tuesday’s game, Shahidi also credited the team’s mentor Ajay Jadeja for his input.  | Photo Credit: PTI

Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq recently took a dig at the Australian team on social media, recollecting the episode of their refusal to play a series against the Afghans following the Taliban’s imposition of restrictions on women’s and girls’ education and employment.

However, on the eve of its crucial World Cup fixture against Australia, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi downplayed such talks and said, “I think right now, we have a game tomorrow in the World Cup. If we focus on that, instead of these things, it will be better…”

In their previous three ODI outings against Australia - including two in World Cups - Afghanistan lost on every occasion. But not the one to dwell on the past, Shahidi believes that the motto of his team will be to approach the game with a positive mindset.

“That belief is there. I tell the team also that in every game we go to the ground, we have to be positive, and our mindset should be to win. It doesn’t matter if the opposition team is Australia, England, India, or Netherlands,” Shahidi said.

Before this World Cup, the Afghans had only one victory in two 50-over ICC tournaments. This time, the team has been a giant killer - defeating Pakistan and England. “We didn’t have a good past in World Cup history. We only won one game. But coming to this World Cup, we believe that we can do better,” Shahidi said.

“The gap which we had before, I think now, I feel we are equal to the teams, which are in the top level. And we might be still learning, but talent-wise, we are a good team. I believe that…”

While he hoped for spin to have a role in Tuesday’s game, Shahidi also credited the team’s mentor Ajay Jadeja for his input.

“He knows about conditions here in India as he has played in all the stadiums and all the cities. So, that also helps us. For me, the important thing is, he is a very positive person, so whenever the team is doing good, he is still there to support the team. When it’s a hard situation, pressure time and the team is not doing well, he will be the first one to support the team,” Shahidi said about the former India international.